1987-88 became a season to forget with problems both on and off the field. Mike Watkins severed his connections with the club and there was an unprecedented spate of injuries. Paul Turner had accepted the vice captaincy but then decided to join London Welsh and worse was to follow with captain Rhys Morgan being injured and advised to take a long rest from rugby. It was left to flanker Roger Powell to take up the reins but within weeks the Newport pack - arguably one of the best in the country - was decimated with injuries to Frank Hillman, Wayne Rendall, John Widdecombe, Andrew Perry and Robert Young and Alan Williams suspended leaving only 3 of Newport's match winning pack - Powell, Waters and George.

Further injuries followed to Nigel Callard and Shaun McWilliam and coaches Tony Faulkner and Roy Duggan resigned with Keith James and Jim McCreedy stepping into the breach. Rhys Morgan returned to pass Keith Poole's record of 486 appearances and ended with 507.

Towards the end of the season new players Chris Scott (flanker) and Gary Abraham (outside half) gave hope for the future as did the play of fullback Jon Callard and flanker Glen George.

Jon Callard was top points scorer on 218pts and also top try scorer with 24 tries - a club record for fullback for Newport. Marc Batten scored 17 tries and scrum half Nigel Callard equalled the club record of 6 tries in a match in Newport's 50 v 6 win vs Penarth in September 1987.

The summer of 1988 was to see the Welsh National Eisteddfod take place at Tredegar House and Country Park between 30th July and 7th August. The Eisteddfod was returning to Newport for the first time in 95 years! Part of the build-up was an Eisteddfod Celebrity Match at Rodney Parade on Wednesday, 20th April 1988 between a Jeff Squire Invitation XV and a Ray Gravell Invitation XV.

In the match programme the Eisteddfod Committee acknowledged that they were "very grateful to Newport Athletic Club for readily agreeing to the use of the ground, clubhouse and staff for our exclusive use in promoting the match."

"If this summer's Welsh national eisteddfod at Newport proves as entertaining as last night's major sporting fund raising occasion then it is heading for a major success."

"A sizeable Rodney Parade crowd were enthralled as two sides packed with stars from the present and past fought it out, with Squire's team taking a big lead, finding themselves overhauled and then hitting back to draw a high scoring cracker."

"The skills of Mark Ring were a delight to watch, and the pace of Mark Titley and Jonathan Callard was matched by Peter Hopkins, Kevin Thomas and David Nicholas."

"But the passing of David Burcher and Gravell has lost none of its accuracy, and the popularity of Bobby Windsor and Tony Faulkner continues undiminished, the crowd reserving specisl acclaim for them whenever they had possession."

"Squire's team shot off the mark, quickly cantering into a 32 - 4 lead, though David Bishop had to go off after half-an-hour with hamstring trouble that had restricted him from the start."

"That big advantage was gradually whittled away until Gravell's team actually took the lead at 40 - 36, but while not suggesting that a draw was stagemanaged it was probably the only acceptable result at the end of such a spectacle."